How do int/adv players REALLY feel about n00bs on the ice?

Depends on the situation. At pickup I'm very supportive of noobs, and do my best to pass to them, talk to them, and give them tips when appropriate.

It's a little different in league games. Even if a new player is doing everything right, I am less likely to pass to that person because the newer players tend to flub passes and make turnovers. It's not out of spite, disrespect, or anything like that, it's just that we like to win, so I tend to pass to players who are more likely to make a smart/effective play with the puck. I generally enjoy playing with everyone, and I certainly will pass to new players at times, I'm just somewhat less likely to do so in any given situation.

At best I'm a D level player for rec league who didn't start playing hockey until his teens, so when I play with guys from E or absolute beginner leagues I can really sympathize. I try to share the puck as much as possible and will offer advice to anyone who seems open to learning something new. Some guys just want to go out there and do their best Sean Avery impersonation. I leave those guys alone.

When I play with guys better than me I find that it's a mix... some guys will give you pointers and try to feed you the puck if you make an effort to get open in the right position, and others will completely ignore the fact that you're on the ice and only pass to the guys who are, in their eyes, as good as they are.

No, no offense at all! It's just funny to hear it seeing as how I am a girl.

I don't know that any of the adult coed leagues around here allow checking. I know that one of the rinks is no checking of any kind. The leagues I play in are all non-checking so it's never come up. Of course, there is contact from time to time, but it's almost always accidental and if it's a guy hitting a girl, he feels really bad about it.

Admittedly, it is getting a little more physical and chippier in my d-league as well as the adult rookie class I attend. Last week I saw someone get pushed pretty forcefully into the boards and we were all really surprised that the ref didn't do anything about it - it was a pretty hard hit from behind, and the person who got hit was kind of slow about getting up. Our coach HAS noticed and has told us that now that everyone is getting more confident in their abilities to skate and move the puck, people are getting more competitive and we do need to stay on the right side of what is OK and what isn't.

Wait you are a girl? As long as your laces and gloves aren't pink, you can play on my line anytime (this pick up line would work so much better if I wasn't a goalie)

Depends on the situation. At pickup I'm very supportive of noobs, and do my best to pass to them, talk to them, and give them tips when appropriate.

It's a little different in league games. Even if a new player is doing everything right, I am less likely to pass to that person because the newer players tend to flub passes and make turnovers. It's not out of spite, disrespect, or anything like that, it's just that we like to win, so I tend to pass to players who are more likely to make a smart/effective play with the puck. I generally enjoy playing with everyone, and I certainly will pass to new players at times, I'm just somewhat less likely to do so in any given situation.

Kind of surprised to hear a comment like this, although I respect the honesty. I personally don't think the desire to "win?" should alter a decision to make the smartest hockey play. I'm unsure how someone actually has the time to plan who is good enough to be gifted with a pass.

I (and the vast majority I'm sure) could care less what skill level you are when we go to score or prevent a goal. I keep my head up looking for every teammate on the ice. If I have no shot trust me keep your stick on the ice and get open cause it's coming your way.

Guys who are new, but work hard, are open to advice, and are cool-headed and easily accepted.

Hot-heads who lose their cool, don't know how to keep their sticks down, play the game recklessly, etc... will not garner the same acceptance.

I still have a scar on my eye-brow because some duster who came into pick-up last year just fired the puck up and down and across the ice in stoppages in play and warm-ups and one time when I was skating to the bench for a drink I just caught the puck in the side of the face. That's the kind of crap that pisses people off.

I say good for them. Hockey is not a sport that I would want to start playing later in life. I have a couple of friends that are just starting out and it sounds rather frustrating. Sadly I don't live near them so I can't join them on the ice.

All those responses are probably more akin to an organized B/C/D league than for drop-in.

When I started playing seven years ago, I went to a lot of different drop-in rink times around the area, and there were always a half dozen complete utter ****** bags who would never pass and would talk trash about you behind your back (and sometimes in front of you), basically just be complete ass holes out there.

There were also usually a few guys at each drop-in who were really nice and supportive and would help out. Sometimes they made it worthwhile, and other times I really wanted to quit as I just couldn't hang (I still probably couldn't today, but I could at least try and minimize it).

Luckily, I found some D-level drop-in times and that saved hockey for me. Then I wasn't the only one who would flub passes or miss the net. I could actually keep up on the forecheck and backcheck. I got some confidence and improved my stick handling, skating, passing, and shooting. I got addicted to the game, practiced a ton, and made improvements. And the people there were actually supportive and friendly.

What I'm saying is, if you can, find an organized game for beginners or lower-level players. Honestly playing in a league at a lower level, even if you think you can't hang, is a million times more fun and rewarding, both on and off the ice.

Luckily, I found some D-level drop-in times and that saved hockey for me. Then I wasn't the only one who would flub passes or miss the net.

I used to feel really bad that I would miss passes, my shots would go wide or be easily blocked by the goalie, etc.

Then I started watching the other players on the first line, in the NHL, etc. Every single one of them misses passes, has a bad shot, etc. sometimes. Every single one of them falls sometimes. So I got over it, and while I realize that I may miss MORE passes and MORE shots than an advanced player, it's also not the end of the world that it seems like when it happens! I also get catch the passes from time to time, and I'm pretty good at being where I'm supposed to be. The one benefit of being so new is that a lot of times I do get written off by the other team which leaves me wide open for a pass.

The problem is, you tend to focus more on the missed/flubbed ones than the good ones - unless the good one leads to a goal! I know that I've been able to block passes and get possession for my team, I've passed it along and nothing came of it. But those times don't stick out in my head as much as the times where I made a bad pass, missed a pass or a shot, and then the other team got the puck.

It wasn't that so much as I was a low D player playing with a bunch of B/A guys and literally 90%+ of the time I was screwing up, because I had no business playing with them in the first place.

You miss a couple passes and can't skate that well, you're lucky to touch the puck at all the rest of the night. There would be nights I didn't touch the puck for 30-40 minutes at a time. Especially when they are taking 5+ minute shifts and you can only be on for 60-90 seconds before you are tired.

I love seeing new faces on the ice, and as long as they try to improve and play hard I encourage it. I don't like playing with people who can barely skate and literally cant do ANYTHING, but I'm always happy to see more people getting on the ice to learn the game we all love.

I took my daughter to stick time today, it was her second time at stick & puck. The first time was absolutely awful, she fell every 30 seconds, there were tears involved and she did NOT want to listen to anything I said.

Today she stayed up for the most part, we were able to do quite a bit of passing between us, and she got in the line and took some shots on the net. There were a bunch of teen/preteen boys there and they were really nice to her, let her go in and take her shot even though she was really slow and was lucky to even get it near the net. After a while the goalie left and she went up to take a shot, it went wide, and another boy caught it and passed it back to her so she could try again. She made it in and several of them cheered and beat their sticks on the ice. She was so happy, a huge grin on her face, and the first thing she told her dad when we got home was "I got to shoot at the net and I made it in!"

I saw another kid skating who probably wasn't too much ahead of her - he wasn't all that comfortable with a stick yet, and he was working on crossovers. He was pretty wobbly - so he hasn't been skating for too long.

I was kind of dreading it since last time was such a fiasco, but I'm glad I took her tonight. Not only did she improve, I was able to work on my skating and FINALLY get a crossover in the clockwise direction. I've been able to do right over left for a few weeks now but the left over right has just not happened for me - mental block, thick legs, whatever the reason. So I am happy with that turn of events.

I like to be a leader for my team and be a good role model, so I usually try and help them out. An example is if he messes up and I see something he can work on, next time we're both on the bench I'll give him a tap and just give him some advice and tell him that he's working hard and he's doing a good job out there. As long as you're working your butt off, nobody can complain.

I like to be a leader for my team and be a good role model, so I usually try and help them out. An example is if he messes up and I see something he can work on, next time we're both on the bench I'll give him a tap and just give him some advice and tell him that he's working hard and he's doing a good job out there. As long as you're working your butt off, nobody can complain.

This has been my experience so far - lots of people helping out by giving specific pointers as to what I can do differently right then and there. It's very helpful to have someone say "wait at the blue line, I'll send you the puck, then pass it to me once I move down the center of the ice" or "keep both hands on the stick when fighting on the boards." Some things are easy to fix once attention is brought to them, and can have huge differences in the game!

I have to laugh about working my butt off - that's exactly why I picked up hockey in the first place. I'm trying to lose the baby weight from my youngest daughter (she's going to be 8 on Friday, so it's a little overdue). I was dreading going to the gym, it's just so dang BORING. Even Zumba got old after a while. But hockey, I love. Every game is different, and since I play with different leagues and drop-ins, I'm always up against different people with different skills and strengths. I never mind getting on the ice, and it burns a heck of a lot of calories. I wear my HRM and on a Sunday when I have practice and two games, it was something like 2200 calories burned. On average, I burn around 750 calories during a game, so I'm definitely 'working my ass off.' I've only been playing 3X/week since I got back from Hawaii in early July but I'm already seeing a difference in the way things are fitting, and my calves are turning into calves of steel. Not that that was my priority, but I'll definitely take it!

there is 2 kinds of noobs, 1 that the good players dont mind having around and one they wish would leave.

the good noobs are the guys who love the game and are trying their hardest. the guys who play a simple game and are being good guys on and off the ice. my personal objective is to get them involved in the play and give them passes. I love being the guy who makes a play or 2 and then gives the noob guy a perfect pass he can score on. you want them to feel like part of the team, even if its just shinny so there is lots of shin taps and "nice work" from me.

the other kind of noob, that my hockey circle has coined the term noobtards or noobholes for is a different story. these are the noobs that slash and hook and trip play with their stick high and out of control. the noobs who try and lay body in shinny and worst of all they are the noobs that after a whistle are pushing and shoving because they saw it on TV one time.

as long as you arent one of those noobs than i welcome you on the ice anytime with me.

also i always let the noobs take faceoffs, ive taken hundreds maybe thousands of them in my life. i assume most noobs havent got that chance. even if they lose horribly a few times i will give them tips and tricks to help them win one. little things like winning faceoffs and scoring a few goals will make a noobs night. and i always remember that we were all noobs at one point.

Depends on the situation. At pickup I'm very supportive of noobs, and do my best to pass to them, talk to them, and give them tips when appropriate.

It's a little different in league games. Even if a new player is doing everything right, I am less likely to pass to that person because the newer players tend to flub passes and make turnovers. It's not out of spite, disrespect, or anything like that, it's just that we like to win, so I tend to pass to players who are more likely to make a smart/effective play with the puck. I generally enjoy playing with everyone, and I certainly will pass to new players at times, I'm just somewhat less likely to do so in any given situation.

Rather paradoxical. The noob to be in a position to receive a pass or make a play has obviously beaten another player be it another noob or heaven forbid a league regular and/or he has outworked the team regulars to get in that position.

also i always let the noobs take faceoffs, ive taken hundreds maybe thousands of them in my life. i assume most noobs havent got that chance. even if they lose horribly a few times i will give them tips and tricks to help them win one. little things like winning faceoffs and scoring a few goals will make a noobs night. and i always remember that we were all noobs at one point.

As a noob, I can agree with this. I have taken one face off, ever...on a PK, while our team was up about 7-1.

also i always let the noobs take faceoffs, ive taken hundreds maybe thousands of them in my life. i assume most noobs havent got that chance. even if they lose horribly a few times i will give them tips and tricks to help them win one. little things like winning faceoffs and scoring a few goals will make a noobs night. and i always remember that we were all noobs at one point.

I ended up playing center for a few shifts at a game a while back. While I did well on the face-offs (won something like 5 of 7), what comes after...not so much! I'm just not fast enough on the ice to be effective there.

also we had one noob that played drop in who struggled to skate but he was trying hard everytime and progressivly was getting better.........he also owned a liquor store and would bring beers and other goodies to the ice times so he was a good noob in my books.

As a new player I have stuck to my own philosophy of playing with people who are on the same level or higher than me. It can only make me better even if I don't get tips from the better players. You will NEVER become better if you play against/with people at a lower level than you.

Now at my last pick-up game there was a good group of great players and new players. I was somewhere in the middle. I was however was however getting "picked on" by what I would say was the best player there. (he enjoyed deking me out of my jock) but I tried constantly to stay with him and get the puck off his stick. At one poin the most experienced person on my team started yelling from the bench, as I was covering this player, what to do and where to position myself. I listened and eventually was able to poke check the puck off his stick and actually get a nice breakout from it as well.

Moral of the story is someone on my team saw that I was trying my best and putting forth my best effort and even though I never asked for it, I got some well guided advice. I appreciated it and continued to work hard.

Me personally I'd rather have competition than to go into a game knowing it'll be a cake walk and I don't have to try hard to accomplish anything. I enjoy competition.

You will NEVER become better if you play against/with people at a lower level than you.

I hear people say that but I don't think it's true. I think that playing with people who are at a lower level than you gives you a chance to try things you wouldn't normally do, such as skate with the puck a bit or make a deke. It's why young NHLers often get sent down to develop against guys they'll dominate.

That said, you certainly don't want to only do that. You've got to continually challenge yourself to get better at all, but I think there are benefits to sometimes playing down a level.

I hear people say that but I don't think it's true. I think that playing with people who are at a lower level than you gives you a chance to try things you wouldn't normally do, such as skate with the puck a bit or make a deke. It's why young NHLers often get sent down to develop against guys they'll dominate.

That said, you certainly don't want to only do that. You've got to continually challenge yourself to get better at all, but I think there are benefits to sometimes playing down a level.

You nailed it. My skating skills improved the fastest playing against better players, but my puck skills got better when I played with folks my level or lower.